Joker: Folie à Deux Underwhelms at Box Office

UPDATE: Joker: Folie à Deux Earns $37m in North American Debut

Joker: Folie à Deux, the musical drama sequel to the 2019 film Joker, has underwhelmed at the box office, earning $37m in its North American debut. This is considerably lower than the $40m estimate provided by Warner Bros on Sunday.

Studio executives will be highly disappointed by the underwhelming number one debut given the reported $200m price tag and the box office heroics of its 2019 predecessor.

Reasons for Underwhelming Performance

Todd Phillips’ musical drama sequel earned muted reviews straight out of the gate at its world premiere in Venice one month ago and carries a D CinemaScore, the lowest for a superhero film. Even last year’s much-maligned The Marvels from Marvel Studios scored a “B” and opened on $46.1m.

The R-rated sequel sees Joaquin Phoenix reprise his Oscar-winning role as the troubled Arthur Fleck aka Joker, opposite Lady Gaga. It had been tracking to open on at least $50m and arrived very far away from the $96.2m opening weekend of Joker, which reportedly cost $55m to make and exploded out of the gate back in October 2019 on its way to $335.5m in North America.

Observers attributed the disappointing number to confusion over the film’s genre, and a lack of action. The second weekend will present a clearer picture of the tentpole’s fate in North America.

International Performance

One early saving grace is that Joker: Folie à Deux earned $81.1m in its international opening salvo (Screen will report full numbers on Monday). That will offer relief, although matching Joker’s $1bn-plus final global gross is a huge ask.

DC Studios’ Future

Another optimistic take-away is Joker: Folie à Deux marks the end of the current DC output before the new slate of DC Studios tentpoles kicks off next year with James Gunn’s Superman reboot. A lot will be riding on what Gunn and his co-head Peter Safran can build in what is essentially a company-wide reset.

Other Box Office News

DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed awards hopeful The Wild Robot finished in second place on a confirmed $18.9m through Universal Pictures after a decent 47% drop in the second weekend to reach $64.2m.

At least Warner Bros executive have Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to be thankful for. The comedy horror sequel ranks third on $10.2m after a 37% drop and has amassed a fine $265.3m after five sessions.

In fourth place, Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment’s Transformers One – another film that has earned critical acclaim despite its muted box office – fell 42% in the third weekend and added $5.4m from 3,106 sites to raise the tally to $47.2m. Executives maintain that strong word of mouth will pave the way towards a gradual build.

Rounding out the top five was Universal/Blumhouse Productions’ psychological horror Speak No Evil starring James McAvoy with $2.8m from 2,279 locations for $32.6m after four sessions.

Conclusions

Joker: Folie à Deux’s underwhelming performance at the box office is a disappointment for Warner Bros, but it may be a blessing in disguise for the studio as it marks the end of the current DC output. The film’s international performance and the upcoming DC Studios slate will be crucial in determining the future of the franchise.

FAQs

Q: What is the estimated budget of Joker: Folie à Deux?
A: The estimated budget of Joker: Folie à Deux is $200m.

Q: What is the domestic opening weekend gross of Joker: Folie à Deux?
A: The domestic opening weekend gross of Joker: Folie à Deux is $37m.

Q: What is the international opening weekend gross of Joker: Folie à Deux?
A: The international opening weekend gross of Joker: Folie à Deux is $81.1m.

Q: What is the future of the DC franchise?
A: The future of the DC franchise will be determined by the performance of the upcoming DC Studios slate, led by James Gunn’s Superman reboot.